Northborough woman asking for donations for shelter animals

Baypath Humane Society volunteer Elaine Brem stands with some of the items Cathy Staniunas donated to the shelter last year. (Photo/submitted)

By Bonnie Adams, Government Editor

Northborough – Cathy Staniunas loves her life as a daycare provider and art teacher. But there is another interest that is really close to her heart, she said; advocating for homeless animals. ?Throughout the year, she tries to spend as much time as she can fostering cats and dogs, ?collecting supplies for local shelters and raising funds to help organizations pay for spay and neuter services.

This month, she is asking the public to consider donating to her annual Christmas food drive for homeless animals. The drive, now in its fourth year, will benefit three local organizations – Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton, Inc., and Greyhound Friends, Inc., both located in ?Hopkinton, and Feral Cats in Northborough.

“I just wanted to help bring some happiness to these animals that don's have families to take care of them,” she said. “I also wanted to bring some awareness to the issue of homeless animals and to the organizations that help them.”

Helping dogs and cats in need, especially feral cats, has become a passion over the past five years, she said. She currently has two dogs and five cats, all of whom are rescues. She also provides a shelter for a feral mother cat and her three kittens in her backyard. This is no ordinary shelter, however. It is a heated four by four structure that her husband Danny built over the course of several weekends.

Throughout each month, Cathy picks up items on her regular shopping trips that she can then donate to the shelters.

“My husband then drives me around to all the different places to make the donations,” she said. “He is really committed to this cause, too.”

Cathy has set out bins at three local stores where shoppers may drop off items. The bins are at: Hannaford's, 193 Boston Post Rd. West (Route 20) Marlborough; Stop & Shop, 290 Turnpike Rd. (Route 9), Speedway Plaza, Westborough; and Mayo's Pets & More, 175 West Main St., Northborough. Shoppers may deposit items in the bins up until Dec. 24.

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the drive but is not close to one of the drop-off locations may call Cathy at 508-393-7271 to make other arrangements, she said.